Sep 3014 min read

Addressing the 2023 Reading Crisis: Exploring Declining Engagement and Effective Interventions in English Education

1. Introduction: 2023 – the year of the reading crisis?

2023 has brought attention again to an enduring issue and a growing concern among the English teaching community: the decline in reading enjoyment among students across England.

In my final placement, I was surprised at the emphasis on vocabulary learning and the amount of reading the students were encouraged to do. In KS3, they are expected to read quietly during the first 10-15 minutes of tutor time at the beginning of the day and for the first 15 minutes of their English lessons. This is also supplemented by five keywords for the lesson that the students must verbally repeat 2-3 times, write in their books and write a sentence using the word. This usually takes around half of the lesson time in KS3 (around 30 minutes).

Similarly, in KS4, independent reading is also required during tutor time. However, as most English lessons already include a lot of high-level reading, they are expected to read independently (from a book of their choice) during the register as a ‘settler’ only. The exact amount of importance is given to explicit vocabulary teaching in lessons during all key stages and across all subjects in the school; the expectation is that every lesson begins with keywords and explicit vocabulary teaching.

For my placement school, this has had a positive impact; on average, each year, the group has increased their reading ages between 2-3 years compared to the previous few years of testing (1). Which speaks to the effectiveness of this programme. The headteacher has written a Master’s thesis on reading and vocabulary, which she has used to inform her actions with the school, as well as using input from SLT, the English department and librarians.

Personally, reading has always had significant importance as a distraction for me and an escape from life’s pressures and anxieties. Being neurodivergent, books educated me in a way social interactions couldn’t. I learned about tone, wordplay, appropriate use of language in social settings, and how to regulate my emotions and understand the world around me – most memorially, my introduction to the concept of death with Goodbye Mog (Kerr, 2002). While I found solace and escapism in books, this is not a sentiment shared by many.

However, research has shown a strong correlation between reading for pleasure and language acquisition, academic achievement, increased cognitive performance, and better mental health ("The Benefits of Reading for Pleasure," 2023). Even with all these benefits, there is still a chorus of groans when a class are told they will spend the next x minutes reading.

This research aims to explore why this trend is on the rise and the ramifications of this decline, as well as propose what research suggests to mitigate these effects.

2. Historical and cultural connotations

It is hard to consider modern issues with literacy without first considering the originals of ‘literacy’ and reading for pleasure.

Historically, Britain’s relationship with reading has often lagged behind leading nations, with literacy statistics highlighting significant issues. In 2012, nearly 17% of adults struggled with poor literacy, akin to children aged 9-11, leading to functional illiteracy and difficulties comprehending materials integral to understanding the world around them (The National Literacy Trust, n.d).

Investigating Britain’s history with literacy may reveal some insight into these issues. Selwood notes that from the 5th to the 1100s, reading and writing were skills limited to a select few, predominantly monks and priests (Book Brunch, 2021; O’Keeffe, 2022, p.263). Although literacy expanded during Anglo-Saxon times due to commercial record-keeping, it remained confined to commerce and religion.

By the 1400s, court records showed evidence of literacy growth among individuals supporting their legal claims. By 1754, approximately 60% of men and a lower 40% of women were literate (Five Minute History, n.d). Despite this growth, it wasn’t until the Victorian era that compulsory education was introduced, broadening access to the working class (British Literature Wiki, n.d). Novels serialised during this period, notably 'Penny Dreadfuls,' and the establishment of libraries made literature more accessible across society (Five Minute History, n.d).

Aside from accessibility, the cost of materials like ink and paper posed another barrier. The Industrial Revolution's 'Penny Post' revolutionised affordable letter writing and postage, further fuelling literacy acquisition (ibid).

As a means to convey knowledge, reading witnessed a surge in the 1700s, marked by a considerable increase in bible purchases by the general population (O’Keeffe, 2022, p.166). This unexpected shift toward literacy begs the question: what drove this sudden interest in reading and purchasing books?

One proposed explanation centres on communication. Reading and writing facilitated interaction across various social settings (Laqueur 1976, pp. 255). I thought widespread literacy was due to economic or educational progress during the Victorian era. However, the desire to communicate freely seems paramount. Despite non-compulsory schooling and costly materials, a culture of reading persisted. How, then, is such a culture formed?

Literacy, it appears, arose from the cultural fabric of daily life. The value placed on reading and writing within communities led to a reading culture across generations (ibid, pp.259). Even in cases where parents were illiterate, they encouraged their children to seek education for a better future:

‘John was spared from farm work to go to school for at least three months, at first with an old woman in the village and then with a master more distant from it. He would practice his writing at home each day during the long absences from school as his parents watched with "triumphant anxiety"’ (ibid, pp.260).

The Industrial Revolution again reshaped the context of reading, aligning it with social change and resistance against oppression (ibid, pp.270). This historical interplay between literacy and culture suggests that understanding past literacy acquisition models might inform our present endeavours, potentially rekindling similar ideologies.

3. So, does promoting reading for pleasure belong in secondary education? If so, how can we encourage this, and what are the benefits?

The simple answer is yes; most English teachers would agree that reading for pleasure significantly impacts student understanding and achievement. However, very few of the student population engage in this. Which begs the question, why is this? What has changed in the last 18 years that has caused our students to fall even further out of love with reading?

a. Departmental research and methodology

To inform my research in more detail, I gave a questionnaire to the teachers in my department to further my understanding of their personal opinions of reading for pleasure in the classroom and their perspective of the Headteacher’s decision to make the school a ‘reading school’.

Most teachers agreed that in an ideal world, all students would read for pleasure, well-being, and educational benefit. However, most failed to give an example or ideas on how this might be encouraged. One teacher suggested moving away from physical books and towards digital media to inspire and comfort them with something they already know and recognise.

Almost all of the responses cited in-lesson expectations as a central issue of contention. Although they agreed on the measures brought to help the students immensely, the sheer amount of time taken up in lessons dedicated to reading, vocabulary, and rote learning detracted from the time that was spent on the English curriculum and literature in class. This was also a common issue in tutor times, as reading took up most of the time, and there was little room for form tutor duties such as pastoral care, building relationships, and time for home contact.

The main issue of implementing these measures listed above and explained in detail in the following segment of this essay is not the practices themselves but finding the time to implement them without losing critical teaching and learning time.

b. The Worst-case Scenario:

Too many students leave school without the proper tools to understand the world around them, one fundamental tool being the ‘secure reading skills they need to thrive as adults’ (Ofsted, 2013). Without secure reading skills, students' struggles at school will only increase as they age and move through the schooling system, adding to the percentage of functionally illiterate adults.

One analogy for this has been coined, ‘the Matthew Effect’, proposed by Keith Stanovich, which proposes that there is a correlation between struggling readers and schooling progress (Stanovich, 1986, p.381). The graph on the right labelled: ‘Reading Enjoyment and Achievement’ illustrates how reading for pleasure shows a positive correlation between age-related grades and expected outcomes compared to self-reported reading for pleasure.

Functionally illiterate students, in later life, are less likely to:

· Gain skilled employment,

· Earn above-average salary,

· Achieve training or qualifications,

· Use preventative healthcare,

And are more likely to:

· Exhibit behavioural issues,

· Offend criminally,

· Have low levels of well-being (Mulcahy, Bernardes & Baars, n.d).

The life-long impact of poor literacy can be extreme; with reading levels at an all-time low, it is critical that intervention is put in place soon. Poor literacy has more than an individual impact; these impacts are felt nationwide. Reading ability has been shown to impact health behaviour negatively; individuals are less likely to understand common health issues and terms and recognise their own symptoms. This has a domino effect on our national health service when individuals are less likely to complete cancer screenings and sexual health screening implications and more likely to engage in risky health behaviours such as smoking, binge drinking and binge eating (Public Health England, 2015) - in turn incurring higher healthcare costs (ibid, 2015, p.5).

c. What stops students from reading?

Reading Anxiety:

One barrier explored by academics is reading anxiety. Children who see themselves or have been told they are ‘poor readers’ have been associated with diminishing academic performance over time; their anxiety causes them to have more off-task thoughts, reduced concentration, and reduced information retention (Soares et al 2023, p.180). These negatively impact students' academic performance, reinforcing their belief that they are ‘poor readers’; it seems a vicious cycle of negativity.

Other research has also shown that reading anxiety was more common in students with learning disabilities, further widening the gap between SEND students and the rest of the cohort (Edwards et al., 2022). These studies suggest that reading anxiety stems from the feeling of being ill-equipped in situations that require reading, even if the reading is within their realm of understanding. There has not been much research on how reading anxiety is formed or when it begins to form, but it is a growing point of focus as of 2022.

It’s a Digital World

Although the modern world has given us incredible leaps in communication and health technologies, this has come with its downfalls. One of those negative impacts is on concentration because of the high levels of interaction and multi-sensory stimulation being shown to them on a consistent and accessible basis that isn’t available in books (Wang, Lee & Ju, 2019).

Numerous studies show that social media usage has negatively impacted memory, cognitive abilities and level of focus (Sharma, 2023). One explanation for this is the levels of dopamine released when using phones and social media apps; notifications are usually followed by bursts of dopamine, reinforcing ideas of instant gratification and information at your fingertips with little to no effort required (Caloia, 2022). The Wall Street Journal also released a study that showed people are beginning to see TV as bland and uninteresting compared to ‘shorts’ and TikTok videos (Heinz, 2022). This illustrates that modern students have multiple ills working against them; not all of them are their fault, but they are situational and extremely modern-world context-based.

d. How can we address these issues?

All is not lost! There are methods and research that appear to work, engage students, encourage them and give them the skills they need to read and read with increased confidence. It seems most effective when we bring reading back to the basics with orthography, phonics, and semantics. All things are covered and taught at a primary level. But why does this stop when our students reach KS3 and GCSE? These are core skills needed for life!

Teachers and Readers

The first and least intrusive way of encouraging and motivating children to read is to model the behaviour yourself. Teachers share their own reading and favourite books and their preferences in terms of genre and novels. These sharing elements encouraged students to reflect on their reading and recognise their preferences and practices. As the study continued, children shared their reading more and more until children recommended books to each other without being asked or prompted ("Reading Solutions: How can you encourage reading for pleasure?", n.d.).

This research is supported by World Book Day’s 2022 Impact Report, which indicated trusted adults and creating a pleasurable reading experience as well as dedicated time for students to read were among the top six factors to consider when developing a reading culture in schools ("2022 Impact Report," 2022).

Orthography

As stated, if modelling desirable reading practises fails to take effect, going back to essential works well. If it would be for EAL (English and a foreign language) and primary school students with language acquisition, why wouldn’t it help our secondary school learners?

Orthographic systems use images to represent language, break words down words into their letter components and form word systems that develop over time with experience and practice bonding words to their memories ("Basics: Sight Words and Orthographic Mapping," n.d.). These skills are practised regularly in primary school but aren’t regularly used in secondary school. Eventually, when nurtured and supported, these skills help readers with fluency and confidence, helping to address some of the issues previously spoken about, i.e., reading anxiety.

Phonological systems

Phonology is the system of sounds in a language and boils down to two main concepts: phonemes and phonological rules. Phonemes are the units of sound that make up a word, for example, ‘p’ and ‘b’ in pat and bat; without the consonant sound at the end, it would be impossible to distinguish the difference in the words ("Phoneme," n.d.).

Orthography and phonology work together in a child’s brain to piece together the written word; children associate the visual look of a word with the phonological sounds that words make. Without phonemes, children cannot accurately identify sounds in a word and cannot read, spell or correctly write the new words they are learning ("Phonics: High impact for meagre cost based on pervasive evidence," n.d.). So, what does this mean for the English classroom?

By explicitly teaching reading skills and modelling them for students, live and in front of them, students will pick up the skills they need independently and have mechanisms to cope with and manage their reading difficulties. It is easy to quickly correct a child’s pronunciation and fill in the silence when reading aloud. Instead, I propose that the class teachers model sounding out the word using phonetic elements and build a student’s confidence by using orthographic systems to introduce new words before reading a text, which works in two ways: dual-coding and creating curiosity in the classroom.

Children who are ‘poor readers’ and have limited vocabularies can be seen as new language learners. With this in mind, new words and vocabulary should be introduced.

Semantic Systems and Cues

Semantic cues encourage children and readers to use the meaning and context of familiar words to inform and understand unfamiliar words in their reading text. Readers can use this to determine the definition of a word they do not know or recognise.

Aside from teachers and readers, in practice, semantics is the most valuable skill for teaching children. In my experience, it is impossible to teach your students all of the words they need to cope with exams and in later life. Semantic cues are a life-long skill that will help all readers, struggling or not, to read unfamiliar words.

For example:

“Semantic cues in reading are words or phrases in a sentence that provide context and meaning for an unknown word. If a student reads, "The hill was covered in clover, wildflowers, and other flora," they can use other words in the sentence to determine the meaning of the word "flora." Words like "hill" tell the reading that flora is outdoors, while "clover" and "wildflowers," as well as the designation "other," confirm that "flora" is a way of indicating plant life. The meaning of other words in the sentence gives a reader the means to understand the unknown word.” ("Cueing Systems in Reading | Types & Examples," n.d.)

In this sentence, it is easy to see how semantic cues work, but this is not a naturally occurring skill; it has to be explicitly taught and repeatedly for students to understand how it works and begin using it in their reading.

4. Conclusion

My research gives a little hope to the current reading crisis and provides actionable topics and mechanisms that students can use to help them pass their GCSEs and into their lives after school. Every teacher intends to set every child in their class up for success; my research gives options and shows that this is possible. Reading is a core skill, and there are serious physical, mental and economic effects if this skill is not nurtured through a child’s time at school. It is vital to finish this essay by relaying that all of the issues discussed can be mediated, and there should be no lost causes in education. Teachers shouldn’t be afraid to strip back learning to its essential details and focus on these to give students life skills rather than just GCSE skills.

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